Apple Music: Great Audio, So Bloated
UI
Apple Music -> iTunes -> Music Match -> Winamp: add features, never change anything up.
Remember when iTunes was everything we needed for our music life and nothing else? You could rip all your CDs, buy songs, and tag metadata (when's the last time we did that?!?)! Even as Apple starts to separate parts of iTunes (Podcasts, Apple TV, iPhone backup) from Apple Music, the app is a crufty mess.
In Mac OS we have menus upon menus, 3 dots, side bars. I don't understand why Apple can't merge their Library and Apple Music searches into a universal flow? Instead I'm toggling options. Toggling! I get that some of these MP3s are mine, but there has to be a better way.
As a consumate CarPlay user, Apple Music gives me two choices: play "how many menus until I get to my content" or roll the dice and hope Siri actually delivers a useful result.
Discovery
No matter how much I favorite, add to library or follow, I cannot get Apple Music to become a consistent recommendation engine. Apple Music loves it when you stick to one genre and cannot wait to constantly fill your stomach with the same feed every time. That's great when you're on a kick, but I love variety and Apple doesn't cut it. Apple's emphasis on human curation fails it by looking to the past to influence the future of music. Radio is still a significant part of the UI. I got into streaming to get rid of radio, Apple, which you helped make a thing. Playlists skew to top of the charts more than niche vibes and undiscovered gems. It's a lot of choice but comes up empty many times.
Audio Quality
When it comes to playback on the go or in our home, Apple Music takes the top prize. Our HomeKit-focused smart home sees many audio devices that integrate with the service. The audio quality comes through even on our non-audiophile-grade speakers. Whether for parties or just needing music in the house, Apple's streaming service SOUNDs so much nicer than Spotify.
Grade: B
Part 2: Spotify – So You Want to Listen to Music, eh?